Mobile SIM selling to be disrupted for 18 hrs: Tarana

Sale of mobile phone SIM card would be disrupted for 18 hours on Friday for the upgradation of data preservation system. State minister for posts and telecommunication Tarana Halim revealed it today while announcing inauguration of the Central Biometric Verification Platform (CBVP) at her ministry office.

"The upgradation process of SIM cards information will begin at 8pm tomorrow (Thursday) and take 18 hours. Only sale of new SIM would be disrupted somewhere during the period," she said.

The CBVP is another step of the continuation of biometric SIM verification and all the mobile phone operators have been connected with this platform.

Terming the move as difficult and complex, Tarana hoped that the process will be done without causing any harassment to the mobile phone users.

In the CBVP system, if anyone wants to buy SIM necessary information will be forwarded to the platform installed at the BTRC and the system will verify how many SIMs are registered with the national ID of the person. Later, the system will inform the operator weather the SIM would be registered and upon getting info the operator will verify and register the SIM.

The CBVP system will start Friday evening.

Mentioning that information of biometrically verified SIMs till May 30 this year has been uploaded to the system, the state minister said the final update may disrupt the sale of new SIM card, "but there will be no problem for sale after the upgradation on Friday afternoon".

Tarana said as per the new policy a person can register highest 20 SIMs against his/her national ID of which maximum five SIMs will be prepaid.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Director General Brig Gen M Emdad ul Bari said the number of verified SIMs using biometric system has reached 13.31 crore till May 30.

He said if any person has over 20 SIMs registered against his/her national ID, BTRC will ask for deactivating those SIMs voluntarily within a time frame. Otherwise, the regulator will do it by own.

Bari said the system will enable the mobile phone users to know how many SIMs are registered with their national ID.